Verbs are extremely important.

Every sentence – without exception – has

a verb. The verb in a sentence tells us what the subject is doing. For this
reason, you might find it helpful to think of verbs as "doing words."

More specifically, verbs are words that express physical actions (e.g., to
jump), mental actions (e.g., to guess), or states of being (e.g., to exist).

Here are some more examples:

Physical actions:

 to swim, to write, to climb

(You can watch a physical action. For example, you can watch someone
swimming or writing.)

Mental actions:

 to think, to ponder, to consider

(You can't watch a mental action because it's brain activity.)

States of Being:

 to be, to exist, to seem

(This is the hard one to grasp. It is hard because it is such a simple idea.
There is no specific activity to observe. It is just the act of existing, i.e.,
just being. It is important to understand this idea because "to be" is – by
far – the most common verb.)

Before we continue with the rest of this lesson, I want to tell you an
important fact about verbs:

Great writers hunt great verbs.

Here are the views of some great writers:

 "If you know how to handle the verbs, you know how to handle the
language. Everything else is just vocabulary." (Famous linguist
Michel Thomas)

 "Every adjective and adverb is worth five cents. Every verb is worth
fifty cents." (American poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver)

 "Adverbs are a sign that you've used the wrong verb." (American
author Annie Dillard)

So, verbs are important. Get it? Okay, let's go. Let's master verbs!

Verbs Expressing Physical Actions

Here are some sentences with verbs that express physical actions. (In
each example, the verb is in bold.)

 She sells pegs and lucky heather.

 The doctor wrote the prescription.

  Alison bought a ticket.

(The verbs "sells," "wrote," and "bought" all express physical activities.)

Verbs Expressing Mental Actions

Verbs can also express mental actions. For example:

 Peter guessed the right number.

 I think out loud too often.

 She considers her words before she speaks.

(The verbs "guessed," "think," and "considers" all express mental

activities.)

Verbs Expressing a State of Being

A small but extremely important group of verbs do not express any

activity at all; they express a state of being. The most important verb in
this group is the verb "to be."

Here are some example sentences with different forms of the verb "to
be":

 Edwina is the largest elephant in this area.

 It was a joke.

 I am.

(The verbs "is," "was," and "am" all express states of being.)

Here are some other verbs that express a state of being:

 Alien life almost certainly exists.

 It seemed funny at the time.

Here is the verb "to be" in the different tenses:

Verb "to be"

Subject
past tense present tense future tense
I was am will be

you were are will be

he / she / it was is will be

we were are will be

you were are will be

they were are will be

Interesting Fact
"I am" is the shortest sentence that includes a subject and a verb. "Go" is
the shortest sentence (the subject "you" is implied).

Table of Contents

 Types of Verbs

 Action Verb

 Stative Verb

 Transitive Verb

 Intransitive Verb

 Auxiliary Verb

 Modal Verb

 Phrasal Verb

 Regular and Irregular Verbs

 Video Lesson

 Verb Terminology

 The Infinitive Form

 Past Tense

 Present Tense

 Future Tense

 Subject of a Verb

 Direct Object of a Verb

 Indirect Object of a Verb

 Passive Sentence

 Active Sentence

 Conjugation of Verbs

 Participles

 Why Should I Care about Verbs?

Types of Verbs

As well as being categorized as a physical verb, a mental verb, or a state-

of-being verb, a verb will often be further categorized as one of the
following:

Action Verb

An action verb expresses an activity that a person or thing can do. For
example:

 Lee eats cake.

("Eat" is something Lee can do.)

 The bear chased the salmon in the shallow rapids.

("Chase" is something the bear can do.)

Compare those verbs with these:

 Lee likes cake.

("Like" is not an activity. It's a state.)

 The bear is hungry.

("Be" is not an activity. It's a state.)

Read more about the verb "to be."

Stative Verb

A stative verb expresses a state rather than an action. A stative verb

relates to a state of being, a thought, or an emotion. For example:

 I am at home.

 She believes in fairies.

 He feels elated.

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Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is one that acts on something (i.e., it has a direct

object). For example:
  I saw the dog.

(Here, the direct object is "the dog.")

 Lee ate the pie.

(The direct object is "the pie.")

 The postman will give Sarah the letter.

(The direct object is "the letter.")

The direct object of a transitive verb can be found by finding the verb and
asking "what?". For example:

 "saw what?" (answer: the dog)

 "ate what?" (answer: the pie)

 "will give what?" (answer: the letter)

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Intransitive Verb

An intransitive verb is one that does not act on something (i.e., there is
no direct object). For example:

 The rain fell.

 My throat hurts.

 The cat sneezed.

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Auxiliary Verb

An auxiliary verb (or helping verb) accompanies a main verb to help

express tense, voice, or mood. The most common auxiliary verbs
are be, have, and do. Here are some examples of auxiliary verbs:

 Lee has eaten all the pies.

(Here, the auxiliary verb "has" helps to express the tense of "to eat.")

 The table has been prepared.

(Here, the auxiliary verbs "has been" help to express the voice of "to
prepare" (in this case, the passive voice).)

 If he were to arrive in the next 10 minutes, we would be on

schedule.

(Here, the auxiliary verbs "were" and "would" help to express

the mood of "to arrive" and "to be" (in this case, the subjunctive mood).)

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Modal Verb

A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb used to express ideas such as

ability, possibility, permission, and obligation. The modal auxiliary verbs
are "can," "could," "may," "might," "must," "ought to," "shall," "should,"
"will," and "would." For example:

 Lee can eat a lot of pies.

(Here, the modal verb "can" helps to express the idea of ability.)

 Lee might eat that pie before he gets home.

("Might" helps to express the idea of possibility.)

 Lee may eat as many pies as he likes.

("May" helps to express the idea of permission.)

 Lee should give you some of that pie given you bought it.

("Should" helps to express the idea of obligation.)

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Phrasal Verb

A phrasal verb is a verb made up of more than one word (usually two
words). A phrasal verb has a main verb and another word (either
a preposition or a particle). The phrasal verb usually has a meaning
different to the main verb. For example:

 A burglar will often break a window to break in.

(Here, the phrasal verb "break in" means "to enter illegally," which is
different to "break.")

 If you drop the baton the team will drop back to last place.

(The phrasal verb "drop back" means "to fall behind," which is different to
"drop.")

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Regular and Irregular Verbs

A regular verb is one that forms its simple past tense and its past
participle by adding -ed or -d to the base form of the verb. (Note: There
are spelling rules to consider too.)

Regular Verb Simple Past Tense Past Participle

love loved has loved

hate hated has hated

move moved has moved

An irregular verb is one that does not conform to this ruling. For
example:

Irregular Verb Simple Past Tense Past Participle

tell told has told

bleed bled has bled

Video Lesson

Here is an 18-minute video that explains all the key terms associated
with verbs:video lesson

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all
our grammar videos.
Verb Terminology

There is a lot of terminology associated with verbs. Below are

explanations of the most common terms.

The Infinitive Form

The infinitive form of a verb is the version of the verb that appears in the
dictionary. In other words, it is the base form of the verb without any
changes. So, "look" is an example of an infinitive verb. ("Looks,"
"looked," and "looking" are not the infinitive forms because some
changes have been applied.) Often an infinitive verb is preceded by the
word "to." For example:

 I have to wear that!

("Wear" is the infinitive form of the verb.)

 She wants to go home.

("Go" is the infinitive form of the verb.)

When the infinitive form of a verb is not preceded by "to," it is called the
"bare infinitive." For example:

 I must wear a hat.

(This time, "wear" is a bare infinitive.)

 You should go home now.

("Go" is a bare infinitive.)

Past Tense

Verbs that express actions in the past are said to be in the past tense.

 I ran to the lake.

 They were all there.

 He talked with more claret than clarity. (Author Susan Ertz)

("Ran," "were," and "talked" are all verbs in the past tense.)

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Present Tense

Verbs that express actions occurring now are said to be in the present
tense.

 John jumps out the window.

 Who is ill?

 He is the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a

switch.

("Jumps," "is," and "lights up" are all verbs in the present tense.)

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Future Tense

Verbs that express actions in the future are said to be in the future tense.
These are usually formed by preceding the verb with the word "will."

 I will take the blame.

 They will surrender.

 Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth. (Greek

mathematician Archimedes, 287-212 BC)

("Will take," "will surrender" and "will move" are all verbs in the future
tense)

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Read more about verb tenses.

Subject of a Verb

The person or thing performing the action of the verb is said to be

the subject of the verb.

 Tony borrowed the boat.

("Tony" is the subject of the verb "to borrow.")

 The dog looks guilty.

("The dog" is the subject of the verb "to look.")

  Who was that?

("Who" is the subject of the verb "to be.")

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Direct Object of a Verb

Many verbs perform an action on something. The thing being acted upon
is called the direct object of the verb.

 Terry kissed her hand.

("Her hand" is the direct object of the verb "to kiss.")

 Our dog Beverly can eat a whole chicken.

("A whole chicken" is the direct object of the verb "to eat.")

Some verbs cannot have a direct object. These verbs are

called intransitive verbs.

 The rain fell heavily.

(The rain fell, but it did not perform an action on anything. In this
example, the verb "to fall" is an intransitive verb.)

 Jack protested in the street.

(Jack protested, but he did not perform an action on anything. The verb
"to protest" is an intransitive verb.)

Verbs that can have a direct object (most of them) are called transitive
verbs.

 Barney copied the answer.

(The verb "copied" is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is
"the answer.")

 Terry saw a black fin cutting through the water.

(The verb "saw" is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is "a
black fin.")

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Indirect Object of a Verb

Some verbs have two objects, a direct object and an indirect object. The
indirect object is the person for whom the action was performed.

 Jamie read the children a story.

(Here, "a story" is the direct object, and "the children" is the indirect
object.)

 I will bake him a cake.

("A cake" is the direct object, and "him" is the indirect object.)

 The postman gives Anne a letter every day.

("A letter" is the direct object, and "Anne" is the indirect object.)

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Passive Sentence

The subject of a sentence does not always do the action of the verb.
Sometimes, the action is done to the subject. Such sentences are
called passive sentences because the subjects are being passive, i.e., not
doing anything.

 Carl was arrested.

("Carl" is not doing anything, but he is the subject of the sentence.)

(Note: "Carl" is the subject of the verb "to be.")

Passive verbs always comprise two parts ("was arrested" in this

example). The person doing the action of the verb in a passive sentence
is usually shown with the word "by."

 Carl was caught by Mr. Adams.

Passive verbs are said to be in the passive voice. Passive sentences can
be quite useful:

 The carpet was damaged.

(This is a passive sentence. No one is blamed for damaging the carpet.)

 Mark damaged the carpet.

(A passive sentence contrasts with an active sentence (where the subject
performs the verb). This is an example of an active sentence. It tells us
that Mark damaged the carpet.)

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Active Sentence

Active sentences contrast with passive sentences. In an active sentence,

the subject of the verb performs the action.

 We damaged the carpet.

(This is an active sentence. "We" is the subject. "We" performed the

action of "to damage.")

 Jamie read a story.

(This is an active sentence. "Jamie" is the subject. "Jamie" performed the

action of "to read.")

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Conjugation of Verbs

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A verb can change its form depending on the subject. For example:

 I am. / You are. / He is.

 I write. / He writes.

 The jackal laughs. / The jackals laugh.

When verbs change in this way, it is known as conjugation. A verb

conjugates according to the subject. The subject of a verb can be in one
of six forms:

Form Form Name

1 I first person singular

2 you second person singular

he/ she / it third person singular

3 [any singular noun,
e.g., dog, tree]

4 we first person plural

5 you second person plural

they third person plural

6 [any plural noun,
e.g., dogs, trees]

The first three are the singular forms (known as first

person singular, second person singular, and third person singular). The
second three are the plural forms (known as first person plural, second
person plural and third person plural).

All subjects fit into one of these categories. This issue rarely causes
problems for native English speakers, who conjugate verbs correctly
without much thought. Read more about subject-verb agreement.

Participles

Participles are formed from verbs. There are two types:

 present participles (e.g., looking, taking)

 past participles (e.g., looked, taken)

Present participles end -ing. Past participles have various endings

(e.g., -ed, -en). Here are some more participles:

Verb Present Participle Past Participle

to sing singing sung

to drive driving driven

to go going gone

to rise rising risen

to watch watching watched

to be being been

Participles can function as adjectives. Here are some examples of

participles being used as adjectives:

 Our business is badly affected by the soaring price of wool.

(The word "soaring" is a present participle. Here, it is being used as an

adjective to describe "price.")

 He is a forgotten hero.

(The word "forgotten" is a past participle. Here, it is being used as an

adjective to describe "hero.")

Note: When a verb form (like a participle) functions as an adjective or a

noun, it is known as a verbal.

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Read more about participles.

Why Should I Care about Verbs?

The terms covered on this page will be useful if you're learning or

teaching a foreign language because your study books will be full of
them. That said, here are five more good reasons to think more carefully
about verbs.

(Reason 1) Write flowing sentences.

We fill our speech with verbs. As a result, speech is clear and structured
naturally. Writing, on the other hand, can be boring, corporate,
predictable, and structured abnormally, which are usually consequences
of overusing nouns.

So, to ensure your writing contains lots of verbs, a good trick is to say
your sentence aloud and make that the starting point for your sentence
structure. This will put more verbs into your writing and reduce the
number of nouns.

Unnatural Natural
(Overusing Nouns) (Deploying a Good Verb)

I was under the mistaken assumption I mistakenly assumed you

you had made the payment. had paid.

They are in agreement that he was in They agree he violated

violation of several regulations. several regulations.

She will be in attendance to present a She will attend to

demonstration of how the weather will demonstrate how the
have an effect on our process. weather will affect our
process.

Opting for verbs over nouns will make your sentences flow better and
also reduce your word count because you will avoid the articles (e.g.,
"an," "the") and prepositions (e.g., "in," "on") that are needed to make
nouns work.

To optimize your sentences even further, use action verbs over linking
verbs, which – like nouns – can sound a little stuffy.

Stuffy Natural
(Using Linking Verbs) (Using Action Verbs)

This rule is applicable to both teams. This rule applies to both teams.
The treaty is binding for all parties. The treaty binds all parties.

Top Tip

"If your writing reads like writing, then re-write it."

(Reason 2) Ensure your subject and verb agree in number.

Here is an excellent reason to care about verbs: subject-verb agreement.

"Subject-verb agreement" means using the right version of the verb to

agree with the subject. It just means saying "The cat was hungry" and
not "The cat were hungry." In other words, it's about changing a verb to
match its subject (called "verb conjugation").

Verb conjugation is a simple concept, but there are many traps that
cause writers to match a singular subject with a plural verb, or vice
versa. When this mistake occurs, we say there is no subject-verb
agreement. A subject and its verb must agree.

Here are three examples of sentences with no subject-verb agreement.

(The verbs are shown in bold.)

 Either of the buttons work.

("Works" would be correct because "either" is singular.)

 The agenda are pinned on the wall.

("Agenda" is now accepted as a singular word, despite deriving from the

plural of "agendum.")

 Jack as well as Jill fall down the hill.

("Falls" would be correct because "as well as" does not create
a compound subject like "and" does.)

Read more about the traps that cause no subject-verb agreement.

(Reason 3) Avoid common spelling errors related to verbs.

Here are some common spelling errors caused by failing to spot a verb:

 "Accept" is a verb, but "except" usually isn't.

 "Advise" is verb, but "advice" isn't.

 "Affect" is usually a verb, but "effect" usually isn't.

 "Lose" is usually a verb, but "loose" usually isn't.

 "Marinate" is a verb, but "marinade" isn't.

 "Passed" is a verb, but "past" isn't.

 In British English, "practise" is a verb, but "practice" isn't.

 In British English, "license" is a verb, but "licence" isn't.

(Reason 4) Spot when you've written a sentence and end it

appropriately.

Remember that a sentence expresses a complete thought and includes a

subject and a finite verb. It may sound basic, but lots of writers fail to
spot when they've written a sentence. Consequently, they commit the
most common mistake made by otherwise excellent writers: the run-on
sentence. The most common type of run-on sentence is writing a
sentence, putting a comma, and then writing another sentence.

 I don't know how to act my age, I've never been this old before.

 Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation.

 It was me, I let the dogs out.

 My house was clean yesterday, I'm sorry you missed it.

Having written a sentence, writers are drawn to a comma because

they've more to say and feel a period (full stop) is too abrupt. It isn't. A
period is fine. There are other options of course (e.g., a dash,
a semicolon, an ellipsis (three dots), a subordinating conjunction like
"because") – you just can't use a comma.

What's this got to do with verbs? Well, spotting finite verbs and their
subjects is a good starting point for dividing your work into proper
sentences. If you look at the wrong examples above, you will find a
subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought either side of the comma,
which means you're looking at two sentences.

(Reason 5) Spot when to use a comma after a conjunction (e.g.,

"and").

Of course, it is common for a sentence to consist of more than

one independent clause. (An independent clause is one that can stand
alone as a sentence.) When these "standalone sentences" are joined with
a conjunction (e.g., "and," "but," "or"), it is normal to put a comma
before the conjunction.

 Actors are con men, and con men are actors. (Actor Edward Burns)

(This sentence comprises two "standalone sentences" (i.e., independent

clauses). The comma before "and" is correct.)

When a conjunction does not join two independent clauses, it is normal

not to use a comma.

 My grandmother was gruff and looked very fierce. She was quite
small, but she was very wide. (Author Salman Rushdie)

(Here, the words "looked very fierce" is not an independent clause

because there is no subject. However, the words "she was very wide" is
an independent clause. That is why there is no comma before "and" but
one before "but.")

Spotting finite verbs and their subjects is a good starting point for
dividing your work into independent clauses, and that's key for
determining whether to use commas before conjunctions.

Key Point

 Nouns are clunky and eat up your word count. Use more verbs.
They're flowy and efficient.